Edelman, Benjamin. “The Market Power of Platform-Mediated Networks.” Harvard Business School Technical Note 914-029, January 2014. (Revised March 2015.) (educator access at HBP. request a courtesy copy.)
This note provides criteria to evaluate the power of a platform-mediated network. For a company considering building such a network or an investor considering funding such an effort, this analysis reveals the scope and desirability of the opportunity. Meanwhile, for a company doing business with such a network, as a supplier or as a customer, this note provides strategies to shift the split of surplus to the company’s benefit.